As Catholics many of us
are used to judgments from others. As a result, many have turned away
from the faith, feel shamed, or become stronger in their faith.
“Blessed are they
which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,
for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward
in heaven: for so persecuted the prophets which were before you.”
Matthew 5:10-12
I am
not ashamed to say that saying the Rosary daily, preferably in the
morning, has brought great joy to my life. I will admit that
oftentimes when I hold the Rosary in my hand I think of Pope Pius IX,
saying, “Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer
the world.” That is such a powerful statement. Sometimes I
don't believe people, even Catholics, understand just how powerful
the Rosary is in spiritual battle and the conquering over the enemy.
Whether your enemy is depression, mental or physical illness,
strongholds and addictions or any of the vices the Rosary is one way
to overcome those trials in your life.
When
we say the Rosary, we begin with the affirmation of our faith — the
Apostles Creed. Each day I say this creed I am verbally
testifying to what I believe. I am telling the angels and other
spirits around me that “I believe in
God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth...” And
this creed is impeded within me. Each time I recite this creed I am
not simply uttering or mumbling a few words in a paragraph, but
rather it is said with power and strength. “I
believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and
in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy
Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary...”
After
the affirmation of our faith we say the Our Father. “Our
Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come, Thy
will be don on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil.” As I recite this prayer, I am meditating on the fact that my
Father is in heaven and his name is holy for God is holy. I thank him
each day, for every time I reach, I have daily bread, but not food
for the stomach only, but daily communion as well as we partake in
daily Mass. The bread that we receive, representing the body of
Christ and the Word of God, food for our mind, body and spirit and
gives us the power and grace to forgive others and fall not into
temptation from the evils of the day.
Next
is the Hail Mary. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is
with thee; blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of
thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death Amen.” Now, Mary plays and important
role in the Catholic faith and many non-Catholics have a problem with
having reverence for Mary. Which honestly baffles me because you
don't have a problem with the Valentine's Day Cupid, the Easter
bunny, Halloween ghouls and gremlins, the Thanksgiving Day turkey, or
Santa Claus, but with Mary there's an issue. I believe this issue
comes from a lack of knowledge in Catholicism and hearsay rather than
self study.
When
we make reverence to Mary, we are honoring her as the mother of
Jesus. We are honoring and meditating on her role in the Mysteries as
a mother. We are meditating on Luke 1:28-30, “And the angel came
in unto her (Mary), and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the
Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw
him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her ind what manner
of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not,
Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.”
And
in Luke 1:41-44, “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth
heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and
Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a
loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me?”
Next
we say the Glory Be. “Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and
ever shall be; world without end Amen.”
When
the Rosary is recited all of the passages surrounding Jesus' life is
remembered and meditated upon; thus, Mary having an important role in
his life being highly favored of God. We know that God does not have
favorites, but there are some who are highly favored based on their
relationship with God; hence many, while meditating on Mary, can't
help but focus on Jesus which draws them closer to the Father. Many
would still have an issue but rather than judge, “Let every man
be fully persuaded in his own mind...Happy is he that condemneth not
himself in that thing which he alloweth.” Romans 14:5b & 22b.
The
first Five Joyful Mysteries include; the Annunciation, the
Visitation, the Nativity; the Presentation, the Finding of the Lord
in the Temple. Take for a moment, can you imagine as a Mother,
looking for your child and not knowing where he is and then when you
find him he's teaching in a temple? As a mother your first thought
is, “I've been looking all over for you!” And you just want to
crab him and kiss and reprimand him at the same time. As I am
reciting the mysteries and as a mother I can understand in some
instances how Mary must have felt. Rather I can get a sense of how
she felt.
As
I meditate on the Five Sorrowful Mysteries which include; the Agony
in the Garden; the Scourging at the Pillar; the Crowning with Thorns;
the Carrying of the Cross; the Crucifixion. The Agony in the Garden
itself is a mystery. Can you imagine how it would feel knowing you're
about to be crucified while carrying on the weight of the sins of the
world and how all of that weight felt while carrying the cross? Thank
you, Jesus for allowing me to cast my cares on you and for dying for
my sins. These are the questions and the mysteries that one ponders
while saying the Rosary.
The
Five Glorious Mysteries include; the Resurrection; the Ascension; the
Descent of the Holy Spirit; the Assumption of Eternal Life, Devotion
to Mary. When we recited the Apostles Creed at the beginning and
said, “...I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,
the Communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of
the body and life everlasting, Amen.” The Apostles Creed includes
all the 15 decades of the mysteries. I can't help but be reminded of
my affirmation of faith when I conclude with the Five Glorious
Mysteries as we recited at the beginning, so it is at the end.
Glory
be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in
the beginning is now and ever shall be; world without end Amen.”
I
do need to mention that there are also Five Luminous Mysteries or
Mysteries of Light that were introduced by Pope John Paul II in his
October 2002 Apostolic Letter and they are: The Baptism of the Lord;
the Wedding at Cana; the Proclamation of the Kingdom; the
Transfiguration; the Institution of the Eucharist. When I meditate on
these mysteries I do them separately on Thursday. And I ponder the
power of the kingdom at hand on each mystery.
Following
the 15 or 20 Mysteries some will say the Fatima Prayer. “O
my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and
lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy
mercy.” We're asking Jesus to deliver us and save us from the Lake
of Fire. As I say this prayer I recognize and understand that there
are many who deeply dwell in the wickedness and lusts of this world.
Those individuals are not to be envied, but rather pitied and we are
asking Jesus to have mercy on those souls who are on a fast path
toward destruction. For we fear the God who can kill both soul and
body in hell. Matthew 10:28
We
conclude with the Hail Holy Queen. “Hail Holy Queen, Mother
of mercy! Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To you do we
cry poor banished children of Eve; to you do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most
gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our
exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb Jesus. O clement,
O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God; that
we may be worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.”
Let
us pray. “O God whose only begotten Son, by His life, death and
resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation;
grant we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the
most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary; we may imitate what they
contain and obtain what they promise through the same Christ our Lord
Amen.”
NO.
The Rosary isn't simply a repetition of vain sayings. It is a
repetition and a meditation on the life, power and promises of our
Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
The
Rosary is a meditation on the life of Christ from being in Mary's
womb to the giving of the Holy Spirit, even his coming to judge the
earth. Whether I am saying the Rosary in the privacy of my own home,
in the backyard, at the beach or in the park...Christ is there,
Jehovah Shammah is present. And yes, Christ should be present in
everything we do and everywhere we go, but as I meditate on his life,
it draws me and allows me to go deeper into, not only his life, but
the great Virgin Mary's, the Apostles, and all the events surrounding
that time in history, Biblically speaking.
When
I say the Rosary, I am meditating on what happened and why it
happened and the events surrounding how it happened. Thus, my
mornings begin with the life of Christ in my mind, heart and soul.
The recitation of the Rosary has given me important revelations
regarding life and making decisions. It has added more peace to my
life and a calmness dwells about me when things around me are
challenging. However, with that peace has also come power and
authority to recognize when the adversary is attempting to enter my
life or shake things up a bit.
Saying
the Rosary really boils down to a personal belief and your walk with
God. There are Catholics who are just as different as Protestants.
There are Protestants who believe in the rapture and some do not.
There are Catholics who say the Rosary and some do not. There are
Protestants who attend church regularly, some go once or twice a year
or in name only. There are Protestants and Catholics who read the
Bible daily or regularly and some do not.
Your
relationship with God is just that — yours. And you either have a
relationship or you don't. There are wise virgins and there are
foolish virgins and there will be many whom Jesus will say, “I
never knew you...” Matthew 7:23
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